Today in Chicago History: Cubs hire Buck O'Neil who becomes first Black coach in major league history
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 29, according to the Tribune's archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
1962: The Chicago Cubs hired John 'Buck' O'Neil as the first Black on-field coach in major league history.
'I have never told anyone this before, but I was the one who talked to [then-Cubs owner] P.K. Wrigley and asked him to hire Buck,' Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks told the Tribune in 2006.
'That had always been between just me and Buck. I'm saying this with love today; it was me. I said to Mr. Wrigley: 'There is a man I know who has a lot of talent with baseball, it's Buck O'Neil.''
A solid-hitting first baseman, O'Neil barnstormed with pitching legend Satchel Paige during his youth and twice won a Negro leagues batting title. He later became a pennant-winning manager of the Kansas City Monarchs.
O'Neil — who fell short of induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by one vote in 2006 — was finally enshrined there in 2022. He died in 2006 at age 94.
1976: Six Flags Great America (which was originally known as Marriott's Great America) debuted in Gurnee. The $50 million-playland opened in miserable Memorial Day weekend weather, but 12,000 visitors still showed up. Roller coasters including the corkscrew barrel roll Turn of the Century were a big hit.
2013: Catcher Dioner Navarro had the first three home-run game of his career, connecting from both sides of the plate at Wrigley Field to lead the Cubs to a 9-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Navarro had 6 RBIs, drove in a career-high 5 runs and scored 4 times. Navarro hit six home runs for the White Sox during the 2016 season, before he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
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